Southeast mother grieves for slain 1-year-old son

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A D.C. mother is grieving in the wake of an attack that led to the death of her 1-year-old son.

An 11-year-old girl is in custody after Prince George’s County police say the girl was left alone to care for the toddler.

Tanya Davis’ son Paxton was still alive when she learned about the attack that led to his death.

A friend had called her, saying the boy was in desperate need of medical attention, and Davis would later learn that he had been beaten by a member of the family she’s trusted to care for him.

Paxton passed away as a result of the trauma he suffered at the home, doctors told her.

When she first saw the boy, she was confronted with a horrifying image.

“He was pale. His eyes were very swollen. It was sitting out like a golf ball. His head was kind of like disfigured. His forehead was sticking out like this and he has red stuff all over his face like maybe someone took his face and rubbed it all on the carpet. It crushed me. It crushed me,” she said.

The incident began around 12:30 p.m. last Sunday afternoon.

Police say the 11-year-old girl’s mother returned to the apartment on Pearl Drive in Suitland to find the 1-year-old in distress.

Paramedics rushed the toddler to the children’s hospital, where he was treated until Thursday, when he died.

Davis was in the hospital until her son’s last breath.

She says the memories of her son will always remain.

“I miss him waking me up, kicking me every morning 3, 3 a.m. I miss his smile I miss his smell. I miss the way he looked at me. I miss, he just started walking. He just started saying mama, I miss our mornings. Him singing and I’m singing to him,” she said.

The 11-year-old is now in the custody of juvenile services. She is currently charged with child abuse.

Under Maryland law, a babysitter must be 13 in order to care for a child.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Police have not determined whether they will file any additional charges.